Chris Rock delivered zingers across political lines during his “Saturday Night Live” monologue, taking shots at former President Bill Clinton, liberals, and Donald Trump, all while keeping the audience in stitches.
Starting with an observation of current events, Rock quipped, “There’s a lot going on in the news, my God, it’s so crazy out there.”
Early in the monologue, Rock noted it had been a tough year for African Americans, referencing Kamala Harris’ loss in November’s election.
“It’s been a bad year for my people, blacks,” he remarked. “Kamala, Diddy, Jake Paul beating Mike Tyson. Who’s he gonna fight next, Morgan Freeman? I hate Jake Paul. I hate him like cocaine hates monogamy.”
Chris Rock: “It’s been a bad year for my people: blacks. Kamala, Diddy, Jake Paul beating Mike Tyson. Who’s he gonna fight next, Morgan Freeman? I hate Jake Paul. I hate him like cocaine hates monogamy.”
— Tiffany Fong (@TiffanyFong_) December 15, 2024
Switching gears, Rock didn’t hold back on the President-elect either. “Trump had a good year, man,” he said.
“Trump survived an assassination attempt. Won the presidency again by winning the popular vote. Was just named ‘Time’ man of the year. You know? It could happen to a nicer guy.”
Rock said that he wasn’t surprised Trump emerged victorious, despite controversies swirling around him.
Taking a jab at liberal voters, he joked, “A lot of people are scared. Like, ‘Oh, my God, he’s going to be so undignified.’ When I say a lot of people, I’m talking about the nine New Yorkers that didn’t vote for him, okay?”
He then pivoted to a historical critique of American presidents. “Come on, man, this is not the most dignified job in the world,” Rock teed up.
“We’ve had presidents show up to the inauguration with pregnant slaves, okay? And I’m just talking about Bill Clinton.”
The comedian cleverly tied history’s darker moments with Clinton’s reputation, his delivery landed laughs while making a veiled critique of how public figures across history bend the standards of dignity.
“Dude. It’s the United States,” cracked Rock. “I mean, you know what country we live in. You know the history of this country. You know how many rapists are in my wallet right now?”
“A cup of coffee in America costs seven rapists,” he jeered. “Trump’s going to get it down to three.”
Next the comedian shifted his monologue toward illegal immigration and added in some Elon Musk-themed jabs.
Rock noted that Trump is going to start deporting illegal immigrants, while working with the “number one African American in the world, the richest African American in the world, Elon Musk,'” he joked about Musk’s South African roots.
“Elon’s got more kids than the Cleveland Browns,” Rock quipped.
“Oh, he’s serious. Trump is not playing. He’s got Elon. They’re going to put them in a rocket ship–call it ‘SpaceMex,” he joked about Musk’s company SpaceX.
Toward the end of his fiery set, Rock shifted to take aim at President Biden’s relationship with his son Hunter Biden.
LMAO, Chris Rock on President Biden pardoning his son, Hunter:
“He don’t move as fast as he used to, he don’t talk as fast as he used to, but that middle finger still works!” 😂 pic.twitter.com/S7oDYfeLhn
— BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ (@mmpadellan) December 15, 2024
“I gotta hand it to Joe, he don’t move as fast as he used to, he don’t talk as fast as he used to,” Rock mused. “But that middle finger still works,” he added, referencing Hunter’s recent presidential pardon.
“Only an animal would not pardon your son. Every parent in the world would pardon their son, except the parents of the Menendez Brothers,” he cracked.
“Menendez brothers are getting out of jail—just in time to get deported. Trump is going to deport their ass, you murdering Mexicans!”
Rock also reflected on the recent assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Chris Rock talks about Luigi Mangione during his SNL monologue
“He actually k*lled a man with a family, with kids. I have real condolences for the Healthcare CEO. This is a real person… but sometimes drug dealers get shot”pic.twitter.com/PjjfFnzMIZ
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) December 15, 2024
“I really feel sorry for the family,” Rock commented. “Everybody’s fixated on how good-looking this guy looks.”
“If he looked like Jonah Hill, no one would care. They’d already given him the chair already—he’d be dead,” he remarked about the accused killer Luigi Mangione.
“He actually killed a man—a man with a family, a man with kids. I have condolences. This is a real person, you know?” he said winded up. “But you also got to go, ‘You know, sometimes drug dealers get shot.’”
Watch Rock’s full “SNL” monologue here: